Vegan West African Peanut Stew

I had seen recipes for West African Peanut Stew and all of it’s millions of variations around the internet for years before I finally gave it a try, and I’m only kicking myself for not trying it sooner. This stuff is seriously DE-LIC-OUS!! This unique peanut and tomato based stew is so incredibly flavorful, super comforting, and is truly a meal in a bowl. While most versions of this dish are made with chicken, I made a few subs to make it vegan, but I promise you won’t even miss the meat. You’re going to love this rich and flavorful stew!

Originally posted 8-27-14, updated 1-24-19.

Vegan West African Peanut Stew

Substitutions

I love the texture and flavor of the collard greens in this Vegan West African Peanut Stew, but I’ve seen versions using all sorts of different greens, so feel free to substitute with kale, spinach, mustard greens, or whatever hearty greens you prefer.

Either chunky or smooth peanut butter will work here, but make sure it’s natural style, with no added sugar, to maximize the peanut flavor.

How to Serve West African Peanut Stew

Brown rice is my carb of choice to go with this dish because of it’s slightly nutty flavor and extra texture, so I like to scoop a bit straight into my bowl of stew. That being said, it can certainly be served without rice as well, or even with some bread (maybe some naan) for dipping. I also like my stew a bit spicy, so I like to top it off with a little drizzle of sriracha, even though that’s totally mixing and matching cultures. :) I’m all about fusion!

Meal Prep or Freeze for Later!

This recipe holds up really well both in the refrigerator or freezer. I like to pack up my bowls with rice and everything, then refrigerate for a few days or freeze for longer term storage.

Vegan West African Peanut Stew

With a rich peanut and tomato sauce, sweet potatoes, collard greens, and crunchy peanuts, this Vegan West African Peanut Stew is comfort in a bowl!

Keyword: gluten free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Total Cost: $6.38 recipe / $1.06 serving

Author: Beth M

Prep Time: 10mins

Cook Time: 45mins

Total Time: 55mins

Servings: 61.5 cups each

Ingredients

1Tbspolive oil($0.16)

4clovesgarlic($0.32)

1Tbspgrated fresh ginger($0.30)

1sweet potato (about 1 lb.)($1.47)

1medium onion($0.21)

1tspcumin($0.10)

1/4tspcrushed red pepper($0.02)

16oz. cantomato paste($0.45)

1/2cupnatural style peanut butter($0.55)

6cupsvegetable broth($0.78)

1/2bunchcollard greens (4-6 cups chopped)($0.99)

Optional Garnishes

1/4bunchcilantro ($0.25)

4.5cupscooked brown rice($0.53)

1/3cup chopped peanuts($0.16)

Instructions

Peel and grate the ginger using a small holed cheese grater. Mince the garlic, and dice the onion. Sauté the onion, ginger, and garlic in a large pot with the olive oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the onion becomes soft and translucent.

While the onion, ginger, and garlic are sautéing, peel and dice the sweet potato into 1/2-inch cubes. Add the sweet potato cubes, cumin, and red pepper to the pot and continue to sauté for about 5 minutes.

Add the tomato paste, peanut butter, and vegetable broth to the pot. Stir until the peanut butter and tomato paste have mostly dissolved into the broth. Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat up to high. Allow the stew to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and allow it to simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are very soft.

While the soup is simmering, prepare the collard greens. Use a sharp knife to remove each stem (cut along the side of each stem), then stack the leaves and cut them into 1/2-inch wide strips. Place the chopped collard greens in a colander and rinse very well

Once the stew has simmered for 15-20 minutes and the sweet potatoes are very soft, stir in the collard greens. Let the stew simmer for about 5 minutes more, then begin to smash the sweet potatoes against the side of the pot to help thicken the stew.

Finally, taste the stew and add salt or red pepper, if desired. Serve the stew with a scoop of cooked rice (about 3/4 cup), a few chopped peanuts, fresh cilantro, and a drizzle of sriracha, if desired.

Step by Step Photos

Dice one onion, mince four cloves of garlic, and grate about 1 Tbsp fresh ginger. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger to a large soup pot along with 1 Tbsp olive oil, and sauté over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent.

While the onion, garlic, and ginger are sautéing, peel and dice one sweet potato (about 1 lb.) into 1/2-inch cubes. Add the sweet potato cubes to the pot along with 1 tsp cumin and 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes. Continue to sauté for about 5 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup natural-style peanut butter, one 6oz. can of tomato paste, and 6 cups of vegetable broth to the pot. Stir until the peanut butter and tomato paste are mostly dissolved into the broth (it will look a little weird and grainy at this point). Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to high, and bring the stew up to a boil. Once boiling, turn it down to medium-low and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are very soft and mashable.

While the stew is simmering, prepare the collard greens. Run a sharp knife down the side of each stem to remove the stems.

Stack the leaves and slice cross-wise into 1/2-inch wide strips. Place the sliced collard greens in a colander and rinse very well (they tend to be very sandy).

Once the stew has simmered for 15-20 minutes and the sweet potatoes are very soft, add the rinsed collard greens. Stir them into the hot stew and let them simmer for about 5 minutes more.

Use a large spoon to smash some of the sweet potatoes against the side of the pot to help thicken the stew. Give the peanut stew one last taste and add more salt or red pepper flakes, if desired.

To serve the Vegan West African Peanut Stew, ladle about 1.5 cups of stew into a bowl, top with 3/4 cup cooked brown rice, a tablespoon or so of chopped peanuts, a light sprinkle of cilantro, and a drizzle of sriracha (if desired). Enjoy!

200 comments on “Vegan West African Peanut Stew”

I just made this for lunch, and it was delicious. I didn’t have any ginger, so I put in some curry paste at the start. A reasonable person might have left out some of the garlic at that point (since the paste had that, too) but thank goodness I’m not reasonable because it was fantastic with the full portion of garlic too. I also had a half-can of coconut milk left over, so I added that with the broth. It was savory and healthy and I had two bowls and nearly went back for more.

I have made this recipe several times and it always turns out delicious. The tomato paste + peanut butter creates a unique flavor combination, and I love how the sweet potato thickens the soup to a nice consistency. I make the recipe as is; there is no need for changes with this recipe. The soup also comes together really quickly– you do not need to boil/simmer for hours to get good flavor.

That was just a random pot that I picked up at Marshalls or TJ Maxx (I don’t remember which). The lid says Sarriette on it, but I’ve never heard of or seen that brand anywhere else. I like that the pot is a little wider and more shallow rather than being narrow and deep like a lot of soup pots.

I’m wondering if anyone has made this in an Instant Pot or a slow cooker yet. I’ve made this several times and love it. But I’ll be out a bit late one night this week and would like it to be either ready or ready to turn on ( in the IP ) when I get home. The recipes I’ve found have cooking times all over the board for the IP and some people dump everything in at the beginning and other people add some ingredients after pressure cooking.

Because of high BP, triglycerides and cholesterol I am slowly pushing myself to eat vegan and vegetarian. What I appreciate about this website is the recipes for vegan and vegetarian fare are inexpensive, easier to put together and cook (not complicated), and they taste good. The ingredients are pretty basic and I most of them in my kitchen already. Thank You Beth

Very good. Here are my changes: I added a tsp of coriander, I upped the red pepper flakes to a tsp, added about a half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, sprinkled some cinnamon, and I used about 4 tablespoons of curry, yes 4 tbsp possibly more. I used a full cup of peanut butter and 4 cups of chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. I used 2 medium sweet potatoes and boiled them first to make them soft then when I added them to the pot I smashed them with the spoon. I also added a can of diced tomatoes with the juice. Also, added a few spoons full of brown sugar. The spices you can add a little or omit a little to taste. I just kept tasting it and adding spices until it tasted right. I will serve over jasmine rice. Yummy! Will make again definitely!

Holy moley. This was amazing. Used regular smooth peanut butter (because it’s what I had) and then garnished with chopped peanuts. It was so delicious that we took it for lunch the next day and it was even better!

This is an AMAZING recipe! I’ve been making it for a year now, but I never left a comment to say how great it is. In fact, after making this recipe I became addicted to your blog. Thanks for the lovely posts!! :) forgot to mention that sometimes I add carrots to the recipe, and occasionally I add brown rice or black beans to make it even more filling. I do collards but often add baby spinach that is sitting in my fridge waiting to be used. It’s a very versatile recipe :)

Hi! I’m Beth

As a food lover and a number cruncher I've decided that cooking on a budget shouldn't mean canned beans and ramen noodles night after night. Join me for delicious recipes designed for small budgets. More »